Asian-Inspired Salmon Patties

I am one of those hosts who worries that there isn't enough food whenever I have friends over for a meal. I might have 5 steaks for 4 guests or have cooked a meal in my biggest pot, but I always wonder if everyone will be well-fed. What do I do if I run out of food? Will my guests leave hungry? Can I blame my mother for giving me this complex? Because it really was the way she cooked — big, hearty and enough for the family and the neighbors.

So when we had our friends over for dinner last week, I was fretting again. With just a couple of hours before dinner, I decided to make salmon patties. I used a recipe from Simply Recipes - the encyclopedic blog of recipes. I had never tried canned salmon before that, so I looked it up and it seems that canned salmon has a good amount of omega-3 and is sustainable. I bought the Wild Alaskan canned salmon from Whole Foods to try the recipe and both S and I liked the results. Since then, I always keep a can in the pantry. For the dinner though, in keeping with the theme of the meal, I asian-ified the patties and made them bite-sized for appetizers since I already had the entrée. This is a great recipe for appetizers for a crowd - you can keep the patties warm at the lowest temperature in the oven until you are ready to serve. I also made 2 dipping sauces - one with ginger and soy sauce, and another with sambal oelek. I am happy to report that everyone's tummy was well-filled at dinner.

Asian Salmon Patties
adapted from Simply Recipes

14 oz canned salmon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
½ teaspoon ginger powder (optional)
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon flour
1 sliced bread, shredded
5 tablespoons long beans, sliced thin
1 egg, beaten
Oil for pan-frying

Sambal dipping sauce — mix:
1 tablespoon sambal oelek (homemade or store bought)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili oil

Ginger soy sauce dipping sauce — mix:
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
a few drops of sesame oil

1. Remove the salmon from the can - do not drain away the liquid. Flake the fish and remove any bits of fish skin if present. Gently stir in the ginger, garlic, fish sauce, flour, bread and long beans. Shape into small balls of about 1-inch wide. Then press into patties.

3. Heat oil to medium heat. Dip each patty into the beaten egg before frying until golden brown — about 1-2 minutes per side.

Makes 32-34 patties.